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Which GPUs and Macs run Gemma 4 26B A4B?

Key facts

Gemma 4 26B A4B needs about 18 GB of graphics memory. It runs on 6 of the 10 graphics card setups on this page, such as the RTX 3090.

About 18.1 GB at UD-Q4_K_M, our estimate. Checked . unsloth UD-Q4_K_M GGUF (not Q4_K_M).

Try Gemma 4 26B A4B free in your browser, no login, no install

The cheapest graphics card on our list that runs it (it still needs the rest of a PC): GeForce RTX 3090 24GB, $1,395€1,246, used (median of sold listings).

Our price is for a used card. These shops mostly sell new ones, so their price can be higher.

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We never pass off an estimate as a benchmark. Commissions never change which hardware we recommend. How we calculate

The cheapest complete machine that runs it: Mac mini M6 32GB, about $1,416€1,530.

We don't give a speed for this model yet. This model only uses part of itself for each word (a mixture of experts), and our speed estimate does not handle that yet.

Find hardware for Gemma 4 26B A4BAbout this model

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You can test Gemma 4 26B A4B (google/gemma-4-26b-a4b-it:free, 25.2B total parameters with 3.8B active per token across 128 experts, our estimate; 262,144 max context; Apache-2.0, our reading of the licence, not legal advice) free in your browser with no login and 0 GB of local VRAM. Ask a question below or open https://localllmrig.com/ to compare Gemma 4 26B A4B side by side against dense Gemma 4 31B (20.63 GB Q4 estimate) and NVIDIA Nemotron 3.5 Lightning (19.75 GB Q4 estimate) before downloading 16.95 GB of UD-Q4_K_M weights (18.13 GB total estimate at 8,192 tokens including 0.38 GB KV cache and 0.80 GB overhead on a 24 GB GPU or 32 GB Mac).

Test Gemma 4 26B A4B vs Gemma 4 31B free in your browser →https://localllmrig.com/can-i-run/gemma-4-26b-a4b

Click a starter prompt below or type your own question to watch Gemma 4 26B A4B stream side by side against Gemma 4 31B right on this page:

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Which graphics cards run it

Seven popular graphics cards and two PCs with two cards each, at the standard quality (Q4). Click one for the full answer: memory, speed and price.

Runs well6

The whole model fits in the graphics memory.

Doesn't fit4

Not enough graphics memory: it needs about 18.1 GB. In a PC with enough normal memory it runs slowly: Budget PC with RTX 3060 12GB, about $1,310€1,361 (with a used graphics card).

Every model on every card

Which Macs and mini PCs run it

Macs and mini PCs from the picker, at the standard quality (Q4). A Mac shares its memory with the rest of the computer. Each name opens that machine's page.

Runs well11

The whole model fits in the memory the graphics can use.

Doesn't fit1

Not enough shared memory: it needs about 18.1 GB.

Cheapest hardware for each size

From all 43 graphics cards, PCs and Macs on our list. "Runs slowly" means part of the model runs from normal memory: cheaper, but much slower. A smaller download needs less memory and answers a little less well.

  • Standard quality (UD-Q4_K_M)GeForce RTX 3090 24GB, $1,395€1,246, used (median of sold listings)
  • Standard quality (UD-Q4_K_M), runs slowlyBudget PC with RTX 3060 12GB, about $1,310€1,361 (with a used graphics card)
  • Smallest download (UD-IQ2_XXS)GeForce RTX 3060 12GB, $292€261, used (median of sold listings)
  • Smallest download (UD-IQ2_XXS), runs slowlyNo machine on our list runs this size.

Prices excl. shipping unless marked. Euro prices incl. VAT where the seller charges it. Dollar prices are converted from our euro prices without the 21% EU VAT, before US sales tax.

Prices moved: see Building a local LLM rig in the RAMageddon.

About Gemma 4 26B A4B

Dense 31B vs this mixture-of-experts model: Gemma 4 31B vs Gemma 4 26B A4B: Dense 31B vs MoE 26B-A4B on 16 GB, 24 GB & Mac. Also see Compare Claude and GPT LLMs with Local LLMs.

25.2B total, 3.8B active. Parameter count is an estimate. More parameters usually means a smarter model that needs more memory.

Licence:
Apache-2.0 source
Longest conversation:
about 393 pages of text (262,144 tokens)
Input:
text + image in, text out
Sources and method

Google's Gemma 4 mixture of experts. The model card's table lists 25.2B total and 3.8B active, with image input, under Apache 2.0. The chat's size class rounds this to 26B with 4B active. 5 of 30 layers attend to the whole context; the other 25 use a 1,024-token window. The vision projector (about 1.19 GB in BF16) is not included in these file sizes.

Builder interview

Roshan George (@arjie) now runs a fine-tuned Gemma 4 26B A4B, GPTQ W4A16 with group size 64, as a fast decision model on that same RTX A6000 48 GB. vLLM answers multiple-choice questions from the logprobs of one forward pass. Self-reported, 26 Oct 2026. The card is shared, so about 35 GB of the 48 GB stays available for vLLM. On Ampere (sm_86) he keeps INT4 W4A16 on Marlin kernels: weight-only FP8 measured 35 percent slower than INT4 on the same model. Read Roshan George's interview.

Ran Gemma 4 26B A4B on your own hardware? Send us your llama-bench result.

Parameter source · Architecture source · Model page

Memory at each quality level

Each download of Gemma 4 26B A4B is a different size. The total adds the file, the memory a conversation of about 12 pages of text (8,192 tokens) takes, and 0.8 GB of working space. A measured file size is labelled; the rest is our estimate. The last column is the cheapest machine that holds the total.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column, up to the cheapest machine.

Memory per quant for Gemma 4 26B A4B
Quality (file)File sizeConversationWorking spaceTotalCheapest machine that holds it
BF1650.51 GBmeasured GGUF0.4 GB0.8 GB51.7 GBMac Studio M4 Max 128GB, $3,683€3,290 (used), price unverified
Q8_026.86 GBmeasured GGUF0.4 GB0.8 GB28.0 GBMac mini M4 Pro 64GB, $2,116€1,890 (used), price unverified
UD-Q6_K_XL23.30 GBmeasured GGUF0.4 GB0.8 GB24.5 GBMac mini M4 Pro 64GB, $2,116€1,890 (used), price unverified
UD-Q5_K_M21.15 GBmeasured GGUF0.4 GB0.8 GB22.3 GBGeForce RTX 3090 24GB, $1,395€1,246, used (median of sold listings)
UD-Q4_K_M16.95 GBmeasured GGUF0.4 GB0.8 GB18.1 GBGeForce RTX 3090 24GB, $1,395€1,246, used (median of sold listings)
Q4_014.62 GBmeasured GGUF0.4 GB0.8 GB15.8 GBGeForce RTX 3090 24GB, $1,395€1,246, used (median of sold listings)
UD-IQ4_XS13.60 GBmeasured GGUF0.4 GB0.8 GB14.8 GBRadeon RX 9060 XT 16GB, $522€564, new (cheapest in-stock board on GPU PRIX's German board list)
UD-Q3_K_XL12.91 GBmeasured GGUF0.4 GB0.8 GB14.1 GBRadeon RX 9060 XT 16GB, $522€564, new (cheapest in-stock board on GPU PRIX's German board list)
UD-IQ2_XXS9.92 GBmeasured GGUF0.4 GB0.8 GB11.1 GBGeForce RTX 3060 12GB, $292€261, used (median of sold listings)

speed: not estimated for MoE yet.

Speeds and memory are our estimate from the hardware specs, not a measured test. Prices are dated and may change. How we calculate

Questions

Can I test Gemma 4 26B A4B online for free in my browser before downloading 17 GB?
Yes. Gemma 4 26B A4B (25.2B total, 3.8B active, parameter count is an estimate; text + image in, text out) is one of the 10 free open models at https://localllmrig.com/ and in the inline test box on https://localllmrig.com/can-i-run/gemma-4-26b-a4b. You can compare it side by side against Gemma 4 31B (https://localllmrig.com/can-i-run/gemma-4-31b) or Recursive Flint (https://localllmrig.com/can-i-run/flint) for $0 with no account.
Can I run Gemma 4 26B A4B on 24GB?
Yes, by our estimate. At UD-Q4_K_M (16.95 GB measured GGUF + 0.38 GB conversation memory at 8,192 tokens + 0.80 GB working space = 18.13 GB / 18.1 GB total estimate), Gemma 4 26B A4B fits inside the 23.4 GB usable memory of a 24 GB card. The cheapest 24 GB card on our list is GeForce RTX 3090 24GB at €1,246 / $1,395. A 24 GB card also holds UD-Q5_K_M (21.15 GB measured GGUF, 22.3 GB total estimate).
Can I run Gemma 4 26B A4B on a 16GB or 12GB GPU?
Not at UD-Q4_K_M (18.1 GB total estimate) or Q4_0 (15.8 GB total estimate, 0.4 GB over the 15.4 GB usable on a 16 GB card). These measured files do fit a 16 GB GPU (15.4 GB usable; cheapest such card: Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB at €564 / $522): UD-IQ4_XS (13.6 GB measured GGUF, 14.8 GB total estimate), UD-Q3_K_XL (12.91 GB measured GGUF, 14.1 GB total estimate), UD-IQ2_XXS (9.92 GB measured GGUF, 11.1 GB total estimate). On a 12 GB GPU (11.4 GB usable; cheapest: GeForce RTX 3060 12GB at €261 / $292), UD-IQ2_XXS (9.92 GB measured GGUF, 11.1 GB total estimate) fit. The model notes say the BF16 vision projector is about 1.19 GB and is not included in these file sizes.
Can I run Gemma 4 26B A4B on a 32GB, 64GB, or 128GB Mac?
Yes, by our estimate. At UD-Q4_K_M (18.1 GB total estimate) it fits on Mac mini M6 32GB (21.3 GB usable, €1,530 / $1,416, price unverified), Mac mini M4 Pro 64GB (48.0 GB usable, €1,890 / $2,116, price unverified, which also holds Q8_0 (26.86 GB measured GGUF, 28.0 GB total estimate)), and Mac Studio M4 Max 128GB and Mac Studio M5 Max 128GB (96.0 GB usable, which holds BF16 (50.51 GB measured GGUF, 51.7 GB total estimate)). It does not fit Mac mini M4 16GB at UD-Q4_K_M (18.1 GB estimate against 10.7 GB usable).
How fast is Gemma 4 26B A4B on an RTX 5090?
We don't give a speed for this model yet. This model only uses part of itself for each word (3.8B active of 25.2B total, a mixture of experts), and our speed estimate does not handle that yet.
Why is Gemma 4 26B A4B's conversation memory only 0.38 GB at 8,192 tokens, and what is its license?
5 of its 30 layers attend to the full context (up to 262,144 tokens, about 393 pages), while the other 25 layers use a 1,024-token sliding window. That keeps the 8,192-token conversation memory to about 0.38 GB (0.4 GB rounded, our estimate). Licence: Apache-2.0.
How does Gemma 4 26B A4B compare with Gemma 4 31B on a 16 GB or 24 GB GPU?
Gemma 4 26B A4B is the smaller active model: a 4-bit UD-IQ4_XS file fits a 16 GB GPU, while dense Gemma 4 31B at the standard file needs a 24 GB GPU. Read https://localllmrig.com/guides/gemma-4-31b-vs-gemma-4-26b-a4b (Gemma 4 31B vs Gemma 4 26B A4B: Dense 31B vs MoE 26B-A4B on 16 GB, 24 GB & Mac) and https://localllmrig.com/guides/compare-claude-and-gpt-with-local-llms (Compare Claude and GPT LLMs with Local LLMs).
Can I try Gemma 4 26B A4B online for free?
Yes. Gemma 4 26B A4B is on the free chat on the home page. Pick it there, ask a question, and read the answer in your browser. No login and no install.
Do I need a GPU to test it?
No. The free chat runs in your browser. It does not download the model and it does not use a graphics card on your computer. A graphics card only matters if you run the model yourself.
Do I need an account to try Gemma 4 26B A4B?
No. The free chat needs no account and no login.